A lot has changed since Tommy B first started making a name for himself on the radio circuit in the mid-2010s. Back then, he was the up-and-comer standing tall next to AJ Tracey, Mez and Big Zuu, and in the subsequent years, he’s grown considerably as a grime artist, making a name for himself both on radio and in clashes.
The reward for all of that is a steady rise up the ranks, which leads us to the release of the MC’s debut album, Spiritual Hooligan.
The album arrives just a few days on from his recent collaboration with Frisco on the fifth and latest pre-release single, “Come Off It”. Besides Frisco, there are only two other featured artists on the album: South East London-based singer Nathan Smoker (who you may recognise from his appearance on The Voice in 2021) and garage vocalist Melissa Carruthers.
For production, Tommy B called on a similarly tight-knit team: Mr. Garrett and ATG handle the lion’s share of the instrumentals, with additional beats coming from Sir Spyro, Johnny5ive, iLL BLU and Izamik.
We’ve had a few EPs from Tommy over the years, even an eight-tracker in 2019 (The New Dimension), but this is the first time he’s had a longer form release to get to grips with.
With that extra space to play with, Tommy gets deeper into his songwriting bag with songs about heartbreak, career frustrations, chasing girls and life on the estate. The anchor’s still in grime, but there’s a bit more variation here as he dips into garage, rap and, thanks to Smoker’s influence, a bit of street soul, too.
“I started writing lyrics at 9 years old and now I’m here releasing my debut album,” he said in an Instagram post. “The journey from the karaoke down the caravan to where we are now has been a long road and it’s scary to think this is only the beginning. I want to thank every single person who has supported me so far in this music thing. From the DJs at pirate radio who first let me spit on a set to the MCs who brought me and taught me! Anyone who has written an article or shared my music, I just wanna big up every single supporter—you are the reason I’m able to do this. If I was to mention every single name, I would be here all day. But I am honestly eternally grateful.”
Get into Spiritual Hooligan below.
